Star Frame
by Michael Konnor
Summary: When a warrior and a truth seeker come together, what can stop them?


14 ABY(After the Battle of Yavin): The young man sat in the dark circle, runes glowed, with a soft dark blue hue, around the border. He wore only small underwear. His clothes sat outside the circle. An equipment belt and a runic engraved obsidian ring lay across the top of his garments. Various tools were secreted within the belt. Picks, staves, scanners and various ID cards. Sweat dripped from his torso as he sat there unmoving, as he had for hours. Chanting in an ancient language, flickering torchlight played across his human features and from certain perspectives, a reddish tinge could be seen under his skin. He sat there, his lips moving almost uncontrollably, almost randomly, whispering. A voice reached his ears as he finished his chanting and let the silence engulf him. A shape flashed in the flames of a humanoid figure with amber eyes and small flames appeared to extend from his chin in the shape of small tentacles. A whimsical look was evident on his face, then the flames died plunging the cave into darkness.

"How can I assist thee, descendant?"

The summoner raised his voice and shouted, the emotion evident in his voice

"I am still searching, and I have done all you told me to do. Now, tell me, who killed her?"

The voice chuckled.

"Patience, descendant. I have been dead thousands of years, it takes time and energy for me to communicate and I am sure you want to hear my familial knowledge."

"I care nothing for my 'familial ties' with you or my history with *THAT* race. All I want from you is a name and a place. Who killed her? And where is he? I want nothing else."

"What will you give me if I give you this information?"

"I will return you to the peace of the grave. So, we can both have silence."

"Ah, but what if I don't want to go back to that place?"

The young man looked confused.

"So…what DO you want?"

"I want to walk in the fresh air again. To stretch my legs, to explore my home, to see what has happened in the intervening years between then and now."

The young man laughed.

"I don't think that's possible but if you believe in an ultimate creator then I am sure if you pray hard enough he might listen and get back to you."

"I deserve respect, for all I have done and for all the help I have given you."

The young man took a deep breath, calmed down and composed himself.

"You're right. I'm sorry. What else do you want?"

"I am tired, and this conversation bores me and does nothing but makes me expend energy. Return to me in a month"

The presence vanished, and the man stood and dressed himself. He put his ring on last and looked at it as one does a hated, but necessary thing. The engravings faded as time went on and by the time he was walking away it was a plain unassuming obsidian ring.

He exited the cave only to be assaulted by a sandstorm. Cursing inwardly, he took a stretch of fabric and wrapped it around the lower half of his face and lowered his flight goggles to protect his eyes. He trudged for, what seemed like, miles until eventually through the whirling sand until he saw a flashing green light atop an indiscriminate shape. Slogging towards the light he approached a figure sitting on the loading bay ramp and waved, she waved back and gestured him inside as she walked inside.

"Well?" she queried.

"He's busy, come back later."

"We have been here for two days, most of it had you in that cave."

He shrugged.

"Sith sorcery isn't a snap your fingers kinda thing. Takes time, energy and ingredients. Summoning a spirit, albeit a family ancestor, is a minor thing in the annals of the Sith but still complicated in the grand scheme of things. A month suits both of us just fine. I have to research something he asked for. It kinda puzzles me."

She pulled her headgear off to show off long blonde hair and brown eyes, a thin face with prominent cheekbones.

"Nothing about her killer though?"

He looked down at his feet and shook his head.

"I want him too, but the spirit said 'later'"

It was raining on the planet of Coruscant but he clung to the skyscraper with no ropes, harnesses or special devices as he looked over the city. He looked down and couldn't even see the bottom of the building as a car flew past where he was. He sighed heavily as he felt the muscles in his arm start to burn.

"Ceph?"

An emotionless and yet somehow warm voice trickled back

"Yes?"

"How many more floors till I get there?"

The voice seemed happy as it responded.

"You can enter at next window."

Climbing up he soon found himself at the window. It was special reinforced 'glass' that was designed to fool scanners and provide protection from long range, high powered weapons. He remembered the design specifications from the briefing he was given back on the ship

He looked over the frame and went to trace the window outline with his finger but stopped, inches from the frame. He sighed and flexed his off arm, working out the kinks. He rested his hand against the centre of the glass and concentrated. A crackling blue energy lit up his frame before coalescing into his shoulder and flowing down his arm into his hand and around the window. The glass, the frame along with all the inbuilt circuitry disintegrated under the assault.

Using his arms as pivots he flipped over the lower lip of the window frame and landed feet first, on the floor, with his hand on his sword hilt. There was no movement and no alarms. He slid into a cross legged squat and waited. Boots running downstairs towards him told him he had been discovered. He slid his finger through the ring of his kunai and spun it round his hand into his palm as he tensed to throw it at the first person through the door. His other hand went to the sword hilt scabbarded on his back.

"Multiple troops approaching. Firearms detected."

He heard the noise of the door opening in the unlit room. His hand flicked out as the kunai flew from his hand and impacted the first trooped through the helmet, he fell into his comrade as the trooper jumped back from his friends body impacting him. There was a heightening of awareness as time seemed to slow and the troopers seemed to move as if they were moving through water. He moved forward and came to his feet in one fluid motion as the sword came free from his scabbard and disembowelled the next trooper. There was multiple clicks as the troopers tried to get their weapons ready. The troopers spilled out of the doorway and started to fill the room. He heard a hum coming from directly behind him, his hand flashed to his waist as he drew another kunai and threw in one smooth motion. No shot was forthcoming, he assumed the trooper was dead. A high cut decapitated another guard as he progressed into the hall and ran p the stairs. His surroundings blurred into streaks as he flashed up several floors.

Reaching the penthouse he opened the door onto the floor when he was catapulted backwards by some form of explosive. Hitting the wall feet first he used his momentum to flip feet first onto the stair case railing and fell into a defensive sword stance while he waited another attack and a figure made his appearance through the smoke.

"Janek", he mouthed

"Heavily augmented Mandolarian mercenary. Weapons expert from guns to knives to fists and improvisation"

"Thanks, Ceph"

"You should be more agile than he is I would advise taking this encounter to a more open area."

A fusillade of bullets pierced the air as my sword parried the immediately dangerous ones from my vital spots as I arced through the air and landed feet first on his chest as he slid backwards into the room where my target was. The bureaucrat sat behind his desk and had half risen upon my appearance

"You said he wouldn't get this far!", the bureaucrat screamed.

Janek just growled and drew paired knives. Wide bladed and long, his right blade was held blade up and the left was held blade down as I tried to narrow down his probable fighting style . Paired weapons can be highly personalised according to a wielders strength or agility. My task wasn't to fight Janek though.

Using my increased speed I ran towards Janek and when he lunged for my neck I slid under his slash and rose to slice my target. The bureaucrat looked terrified and as my sword came close to his neck his fear vanished to be replaced by a smile. A humming sound filled the air and a red bar of light blocked my sword.

I eased off on my sword cut as I tried to plan what to do next. I jumped back to gain distance, he raised his hand as I was lifted off my feet and thrown out the window as I started to tumble through the clouds.

"Ceph!"

"Approaching interception vector."

My ship flew through the clouds punching holes through them as it dived on my location. A projectile was launched towards me as I tried to orient myself to receive the package. The package reached me and split into two as both halves attached to my hips sending me into a spin as the jets kicked in. I hovered there and went over the 'easy' task that I had accepted.

"Are you returning? Is Volt damaged?"

I flew towards the docking port on my ship.

"No, Ceph. I need more research. No one mentioned Sith when this was given to me, I have to find out more details."

_To be continued…_


End file.
